Ativan life giver life taker

[DYSLEXIC]

I take a big dose of  Ativan a day 6mg , was 4mg for 4years but tolerance forces increase ,  my  5mg Lexapro has pooped  and I am in trouble now.  having used all the SSRI,S   and not wishing to go back on any SNRI   I am forced to try sertraline again . It was the med that pooped before Lexapro so its second  go and I don't hold much hope.  I  am on Ativan for life after near death detox , I don't mind its the best anxiety med out by far, you just get tolerance and the detox on 6mg would kill a horse , besides  you still need a Benzo if you get off your illness don't just stop. I am at a loss at what to team up with my Ativan any idea has I drift into the pit of hell.  

[DYSLEXIC]

THE ORGASM  problem is because the feeling you get when not on meds are not so strong on meds , you still have sex but its not has god has it should be, has you say you could go on for hours with intercourse  but you cannot seem to finish . It used to upset my wife has she loved to orgasm together . But some people become impotent if not having a high sex drive to start with , I live a very thin line on meds , right on the edge just to keep my male pride

[Paxiled]

Actually, I have the same sexual side effect you do -- can take me forever usually to reach orgasm.  Great for the woman, but sometimes enough is enough.  I've had that side effect with every antidepressant I've taken, and interestingly it stayed that way during the interim I was off Paxil and tried to end the protracted withdrawal by going on antidepressants again -- a lot of this stuff is permanent because long use of these drugs makes it hard to impossible often for the brain to go back to operating naturally again.  Always best for people to try and do this without medication, but alas.  

[DYSLEXIC]

I no its CRAZY MEDS not grazy meds  , if you read my profile you will find I am DYSLEXIC anyone can see that. LEXAPRO generics are CIPRALEX and ESCITALOPRAM   I got the CELEXA  wrong CITALOPRAM  is Celexa   the older brother of Lexapro .. I can take 10mg of Lexapro over 65  I chose myself to take 5 mg  not the GP . if I was on 20mg and reached 65 they would not change to 10mg if it worked.  they are scared of heart probs  over 65. wellbutrin  is banned in ENGLAND for seizure scares for depression but can get ZYBAN to stop smoking ..  A long time to reach orgasm is a side effect to me , if not for you. At  67 I think I do quite well on the sex side, so long has the wife orgasm through intercourse finishing for me by hand is fine . You are blessed with no sexual side effects read the forum 9 out of 10 suffer and that and weight gain are the main reason people jack in ADs. You have to have guild lines on meds or it would be  stupid. ocourse you find your therapeutic level  that could be anything I no that I don't get what you mean

[Paxiled]

Again, folks, you can't generalize this stuff.  Dosages do not compare from drug to drug because people's liver and body metabolize them differently.  I gained no weight on Lexapro at 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg, nor on Celexa.  Gained 50 pounds on Paxil over several years.  I know of now reason why you can't take more than 5mg of Lexapro because you're over 65.  I've had no sexual dysfunction on any antidepressant other than taking a long time to reach orgasm.  I was on imipramine, a tricyclic, for several years, and yes, I didn't like the side effects -- headaches, constipation, and dry mouth.  But on Paxil my whole personality changed, I still had the problem of taking a long time to reach orgasm, gained a ton of weight, and stopping it destroyed my brain completely (and then my body).  Folks, you can try to generalize but you just can't.  And it's not Grazy Meds, it's Crazy Meds, and that wonderful but I think long dormant website states quite clearly you can't generalize and that the equivalencies stated on it aren't applicable to any individual, that side effects will vary.  Just because a person gets a particular side effect doesn't mean anything to another person except being good to know in case it does happen why it happened -- it doesn't predict what will happen.  Also keep in mind that England has very different rules than the US, particularly regarding benzos.  Celexa isn't the generic form of Lexapro -- Lexapro does have a generic now, but Celexa is a different and earlier medication from the same company.  Supposedly, Lexapro, similar to celexa but having some of the molecules cut out, has fewer side effects, but I don't think that turned out to be true in practice for any particular individual.  I found celexa much easier to take than Lexapro.  Please, don't generalize from your individual experience.  It's great to share and to warn people about possibilities, but not to state them as absolutes, since there aren't any -- nobody understands these drugs, something Crazy Meds makes quite clear.  Do your homework, but know your experience will be your own.  And if you can avoid these meds, by all means, do so, but if you can't, prepare for your own path.  Peace all.

[DYSLEXIC]

I  lot of my knowledge  comes from time 50 years   , GRAZY MEDS  will give you the strenth of meds and  BENZOZS  on the web site .  Most GP doctor no very little about shrink meds , come to think of it not many shrinks do , often reaching for the NHS bible to look for a med.   I actually tell my GP what meds I should try , after years of forums and taking  them. the general doctors and no very little of mental illness so its best to clue yourself up and be able to say wwwwwwwwhhhhhhoooaaaaa  not that med its totally wrong for me .   READ READ   people experiences is better than any med book . I tried Lexapro  ie  celexa in England has its only generic here most. AMERICA had this med 2 years before ENGLAND  it was just to expensive in none generic form.  THE MENTAL HOSPITAL would not give it me even when it went generic saying it was only citalopram is older brother in a new box.  the GP finally gave it to me and it was great but sadly pooped after just over a year.

[BluCrystal]

Thank you for your informative reply, tugmolly.  I can only go by my own experiences when answering these questions.  People whould know WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, and the advice we give is TO BE DISCUSSED WITH A DOCTOR, before implementing anything.

[DYSLEXIC]

TRICYCLIC meds are stone age meds with terrible side effects ,  your 5 mg Lexapro was 10mg of its brother citalopram . mg.s are all different in meds . 20mg Lexapro I cannot have in ENGLAND has I am over 65  plus I don't want  it, no sex drive and weight gain really bad .  .10MG  is just right if taking nothing else , but I take 6mg ATIVAN  so I only take 5mg Lexapro it worked great for a long time.10mg of Lexapro still mess you up weight wise and orgasm , I am MARRIED  its not my wifes fault I am ill . so I sail close to the edge to keep a sex life. I am now back on 100mg sertraline after 5 weeks on 50mg so 7 weeks in total and still not right but I will stick it out a little longer.

[Paxiled]

My understanding when I took Lexapro is that, according to the company and my psychiatrist at the time, that 10mg is the suggested dose for depression and 20mg for anxiety -- with of course variations by the individual.  5mg was the starter dose just to see how bad the side effects would be and to minimize them as we dosed up.  As to other meds, there are also the tricyclics.

[DYSLEXIC]

Benzo limits are endless it all depends on what you take. you say 4mg well Xanax at 4 mg is the same strength has 8 mg of Ativan , and  valium  4 Xanax is a 80mg  valium  , see what I mean.   I don't have a therapist I live in ENGLAND  there a joke if you can see one at all on the NHS . The same therapist take GBT  get my drift .  I see a shrink  once a year I only do that to keep on there books at the hospital so I don't have to go back to the start . mabye 3 years  .  MY  GP has the same meds has the hospital so why stress myself going to the zoo for the same meds. It was a shrink that took me off Ativan cold and caused me to overdose to get out the pain, death was less painful . He also gave me Effexor  ,the worse med to give someone who is rock bottom , it caused my hair to fall out on the massive 300mg he got me on in 3 weeks. GP gave me back 4 mg Ativan saved my life. I have just gone to 6mg after 8 years on 4mg so addiction theory is loopy.   I can never after 40 years detox Ativan its near part my DNA , you tell me what to take if not that . don't say theropy that don't dtox you.

[BluCrystal]

You MUST see your psychiatrist and be honest, like here, and get a weaning schedule to come down on that ativan.  You are taking 2 mg too much.  the limit on benzos is usually 4 mg a day.  Please see your therapist about this - too much benzos can cause respiritory distress, lethargy, and any number of other bad stuff.

[DYSLEXIC]

I am 67 and in England 10mg is max over 65 , plus I had been on 10mg for a long time , I dropped for a sex life and weight gain on Lexapro is the worst  bar Paxil in SSRI   I was on LEXAPRO 2 years  if a med poops going up is not the answer it never works .  My main problem is anxiety  hence the 6mg Ativan I only take small doses of ADs  there main focus is depression and those that have anxiety agents take a hell of a long time to  kick in and that's if the do , some even boost anxiety . 6mg of Ativan can cause depression so a low dose AD covers it , without the crap  side effects. my problem is I have ran out of SSRI s to use , and now back tracking to find one, I am on 50 mg sertraline I wont go higher ,already I feel  its a bummer , lots once pooped even years ago refuse to work again.

[RubyWitch]

Instead of switching SSRI's, why is your doctor not simply increasing your dose of Lexapro?

5mg is 1/2 the recommended starting dose for this medication and I would suggest discussing this with your doctor before giving up on it.

If you were achieving relief from the 5 mg dose before it "pooped" out on you, that is a good indication that the only problem was that the dose was not at a therapeutic level for you.......not that it "failed."

It is very common that doses of medication(s) need to "tweaked" before we find the level where we are stabilized. The by-word with virtually all SSRI's is PATIENCE. Talk with your doctor about trying 10mg for several months and see if that helps. You can take up to 20 mg a day of Lexapro, so you have a lot of wiggle room to work with.

You might also want to discuss getting into some therapy. Very often the combination of medication and therapy work better in combination.
I wish you the best.
RubyWitch